Flu Shots & Fainting

Two weeks ago, I scheduled for all of us to get flu shots today. I didn't know, when I made this appointment, that the older kids would all be home for online learning today, so that made it a lot easier since I didn't have to check them all our of school. That was a nice and unexpected blessing that I'm grateful for. Usually their online learning day is Friday, but they have Friday off this week cause it's Parent Teacher Conferences today, so that meant that the usual Friday online learning was moved to today so there were only optional zoom calls for classes. We only had to go check out Sophi and Natalie, so that was easy. We loaded everyone into the car to go get flu shots at our 10:20 appointment. The usual drive up covid tents are flu shot tents on Thursdays, so it was a nice drive through clinic experience. I was glad I had a previous experience at the drive up tents with Wes when he got tested for Covid, cause I knew the procedure. Daniel was the last one to wake up and he was a little sad to have to get a shot when we told him where we were going, but once we were in the hospital parking stall and all the nurses were there, he put on a brave face and came and sat on my lap and he didn't cry all at, he was very tough and did great! Good job buddy! There were no tears from anyone except Peter did give a little wimper when he got his shot. We gave him his sucker first, then shot, wimper, then back into his carseat where he enjoyed his flu shot prize. 

I snuck a photo of Sophi getting her shot.

Kids waiting in line for their turn, after LSN and Corey (so he could take them back to class) then it was Wes, Hyrum, and I was last. 

I forgot that we scheduled for Mel to come, and she was at home MTC at her grandparents, so I called to see if she could come with Abi. Abi had to go in for a well visit, because she had to get current on her immunizations, and they wouldn't so that without a check up cause it had been a while since she had her last well visit. I got an email on Monday from the jr. high letting me know that Abi was not current on her shots and would not be able to come to school past the 28th if she did not either get a waiver or get current. So I left to pick up Mel at 1:15, then back home for Abi, then to the doctor for Abi's 2:00 appointment. Mel just came along to get a flu shot, but also to get a current print out of her immunizations so she knows what other ones she needs before she leaves for Indiana. There was some paperwork for Abi to fill out, one of which was the questionairre for mental health. I was reminded of Ethan when he filled his out - and his traumatic experience watching his friend bowl a 60, then he himself bowling a 58. Funny kid. Abi didn't put anything for her traumatic experience, but she could have written of the trauma she feels when she has to get shots... Poor girl fainted on us again. This photo was before the faint when she had gotten 2 of her 4 shots and she was panicking as she felt it coming for a few minutes. She layed down, drank some apple juice, said she felt like she was going to throw up, she was still coherent but not talkative. I think most of it is in her head.

So she passed out as she was laying there. Her eye rolled back, she croaked like a frog, she twitched like she was having a seizure, as usual when she faints at blood it was kinda scary, but she came back to us and started crying at the thought of doing 2 more shots. We tried to encourage her for about 10 minutes. I tried playing some Killers to get her pumped like "I can do this!" but she just sat there wimpering with tears coming down her chees. "I can't do it again" "If you don't, you can't go to school. You can do this! 30 seconds and it will be done! You just need to think of something else!" Nothing gave her strength, but then I said I'd just hug her and she nodded so I hugged her and she buried her face into my left shoulder (so that she wouldn't have her face towards the shots on her left shoulder) and she heaved and cried and then it was done! Yay! I think the full heart ache crying was good for her, it seemed to keep her worked up and kept the blood flowing. She was glad when that was over. I thought that would be it for her shots until she was an adult, but I guess she has to come back in 6 months for the 2nd HPV shot. Other times she's fainted - the first time was when she was 2 and was getting her 2 year immunizations and it was super scary, I was glad some professionals were there who rushed over and said she was ok, she just fainted, cause it seemed like a full on seizure or cardiac arrest to me or something. She fainted once when she was 5 and was sick and had blood drawn. She fainted once when her friend stepped on some glass in our yard and had to get stitches. She also fainted after her surgery last year when her dermoid cyst was removed. I wasn't there but Corey said she fainted and it was scary and they kept her there post op for a four hours to monitor her. She gets queasy, she said today she is a little scared to be a mother cause she doesn't want to get the epidural shot or IVs in at the hospital. I told her "Easy! Just do it natural at home!" Haha. So there's a small history of Abi fainting

Another funny thing today was P had a super stinky and poopy diaper. He came to find me to change him, and as he slid down the stairs frontward, he wiped each step with a streak of poop from his diaper... it was pretty funny.

I'm glad I don't totally freak out much at those messes anymore, cause I know I can clean it up. So I started to clean it up. Peter came to watch.

HE IS THE CUTESTS! Look at that cute cute little smile, oh I love him, poop and all.

Then tonight from 5-6:30, I was doing online parent teacher conferences for the elementary kids, I did a little bit of family history as I waited between calls. Today before I went to go pick up Mel, a lady named Judy called me, she is my dad's cousin so I reached out to her brother first, I was able to find his number somehow, and he called Judy to give her my number and she called and we talked for like 45 minutes! It was great, another lead! It's really fun doing family history to find long lost relatives that are still alive! I'm going to mail her a copy of the family group sheet I have, and I'll call her again after I organize the information I have so far a little bit. But my grandpa Julian, his little brother is Mark, and Judy and Dennis are Mark's kids, it's really great.